Prisoners of the Rebellion
by Smudgie
Summary: Doc and Marty are kidnapped by alternate versions of themselves
1. Chapter 1

She was beautiful. She was even more beautiful when Marty closed his eyes. That way he could appreciate fully the soft gentleness of her lips, the way her nose rubbed up and down his, her sweet scent, her slightly rapid breathing…

His eyelids fluttered open slightly at the same time hers did and she giggled, nuzzling his cheek. He grinned, wrapping his hands around the smooth curve of her neck and touched his lips to hers again. She kissed him back, fiercely, and he leaned closer, entwining his fingers around her hair –

_Ring. Ring._

Marty's eyes snapped open. He felt Jennifer become still in his arms. They remained like that for several seconds, frozen in mid-kiss.

_Ring. Ring._

Jennifer was the first to pull away, smiling ruefully as she gently disentangled Marty's hand from her hair. He groaned and flopped back against the pillows, reaching for the phone. 'Hello?'

'Marty, is that you?'

He suppressed a sigh. 'Hey, Doc. 'Course it's me. What's up?'

'I need you to come over here, right away.'

'_Doc!_' Marty let some of his dismay creep into his voice. 'Look, this…really isn't a good time, OK?'

'This is important, Marty,' Doc said – a little coldly? 'Your life may depend on it.'

Marty bolted upright into a sitting position, startling Jennifer. 'My _what_?'

'I haven't got time to explain right now. Just get over here.' There was a click at the other end of the line and Marty was left staring at the phone in his hand.

Jennifer reached over to rub his knee, raising her eyebrows questioningly. Marty grimaced. 'It's Doc. He wants me to go over there. He said my – ' Marty hesitated. 'Well, it sounds important.' _What the hell did he mean, "my life might depend on it"? Oh God, this really better have nothing to do with time travel. _

'That's OK,' Jennifer replied, only a hint of regret in her voice. 'I would have had to go soon, anyway. I'm babysitting this afternoon.'

He bent towards her and tilted his chin upwards. She kissed him again, gently at first, and then harder –

She pulled away abruptly. 'No, Marty, you really should go. If it's that important.'

Marty groaned again as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and reached for his Nikes. 'It better be.'

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By the time he reached Doc's, having dropped Jennifer off at her house, his resentment hadn't fully faded. It was getting harder and harder for the two of them to find time together, and he didn't appreciate having their make-out session interrupted.

As Marty hopped out of his truck in Doc's driveway, he paused, wondering at the unearthly quiet that seemed to hang over the place; the house's windows were all thrown open in the hot sunshine, yet no noises issued from the building. Even the sound of Marty closing the truck's door echoed loudly in the strange, unnatural stillness.

There was probably a simple reason for the quietness – most likely Clara and the boys had just gone into town – but even so, Marty was struck by an odd urge to get away. Something didn't feel right.

There was a flash of movement from the lab, set across the lawn from the house, and Doc appeared, walking around from the side of the lab. Relieved, Marty went to him. 'Yo, Doc.'

Something seemed odd about Doc – he was holding himself stiffly and his eyes seemed to be focused vaguely somewhere above Marty's head. Slightly alarmed, Marty peered up at him. 'Doc? You okay?'

Doc's gaze darkened as it landed on the teenager. 'I'm fine,' he said coolly.

'Well, you _look_ kinda like you did when that last experiment blew up and you got hit in the head,' Marty retorted. He shoved his hands into his pockets; he was still irked at his friend, and if he was going to be like this… 'So, what did you want me over for?'

'Ah, of course.' Doc twirled on his heel, gesturing for Marty to follow. 'Come and see.'

Marty expected the scientist to lead him into the lab, but instead he went around to the other side of the building. 'Doc?' he said, confused. 'What – '

He halted at the sight before him. 'Jesus Christ!' he yelped, leaping backwards. 'Doc! Jesus!'

There, slumped on the grass, was – well, Doc. Another Doc. He was unconscious; he had been gagged with a strip of white cloth and his hands were bound tightly in front of him.

'He's _you_,' Marty said, stunned. 'But – where'd he come from? Is he like that evil alternate you from the Halloween world?'

Something caught his eye and his head jerked up sharply – to look directly into his own face.

Other Marty blinked at him, looking mildly surprised. 'Wow, Doc,' he remarked. 'You were right – this does feel really weird.'

Fuzzy blackness began to cloud the edges of Marty's vision and his heartbeat was suddenly very loud in his ears. He tore his eyes away from his counterpart to stare at the Doc lying on the ground, and then to slowly look up at the Doc standing beside him. 'You are my Doc, aren't you?' he whispered.

The corners of Doc's mouth twitched very faintly upwards. 'Try again, Marty,' he said, as if from a long way off. Marty saw his hand move upwards, but was too slow to do anything. There was a flash of light and he fell forward into complete darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

When he returned to consciousness, Doc's first thought was that there had been an accident in the lab. Why else would he be lying on the cold, hard floor? But no part of him was hurting, not even his head – so why would he have been rendered unconscious in the first place?

Keeping his eyes closed, he began to carefully move every part of his body, starting with his toes. He was relieved to find that he had not been paralysed at all – it was just his limbs that felt weak, heavy.

So what had happened?

Fuzzily, he sorted through his memories. He had been in the lab, tidying away a few things before he went into the house for lunch…and then – then…

His eyes snapped open. 'Great Scott!' he gasped hoarsely.

He had seen _himself _come into the room. The shock had been so great that he'd almost passed out there and then. Things got blurry after that – the Other Doc had come at him, Doc hadn't had time to react…and there was nothing but blackness after that. Had he been hit with a sleep inducer or something?

Slowly, he turned his head to one side. He appeared to be lying in a long, low room that was almost completely bare apart from a few tables and chairs here and there, and several cupboards. The walls and floor were grey stone; light filtered in from a few small, grimy windows set high in the wall.

Doc took in a slow, careful breath. It appeared that he had been attacked and kidnapped by a version of himself. But a version of himself from the future…or another world entirely? That certainly wasn't out of the realm of possibility – he and Marty had only a few months ago encountered an unpleasant alternate Doc in a world where it was always Halloween. Doc's heart nearly stopped as he was suddenly hit with the thought: _Could he be the one that's kidnapped me?  
_

He forced himself to calm down. How could it be Halloween Doc? They had prevented that world from ever existing, after all; besides, that universe had been primitive and there hadn't been the technology to invent any sort of time machine. Thank God, then – that alternate Doc had been sick and twisted, and he had especially traumatised poor Marty.

_Marty, _Doc thought. _He might be able to get me out of this. _But Marty didn't even know where he was. And where _was _he? Still in Hill Valley, or some obscure place hundreds of miles away?

Footsteps suddenly echoed outside the room and Doc twisted his head sharply. The door swung open and he tensed, expecting to see his other self – but the person who entered was a young woman, slim and with a sheet of black hair hanging down her back. Her almond-shaped green eyes flicked shrewdly over Doc.

'Good, you're awake,' she said. 'Get up. The commander wants to see you.'

Doc pushed himself into a sitting position, warily eyeing the woman. 'The commander?' he said. 'Would that be…me?'

He knew the words were ridiculous as soon as they left his mouth. But the woman only laughed. 'No, he's not you. But Emmett is waiting for you too. Come on, get up.'

As he got to his feet he realised that the woman's hand was resting on a small gun at her hip. 'Why have I been brought here?' he said.

She didn't reply, merely motioned with her head towards the door. Biting back his frustration, he turned in that direction and walked out the door. He had to force himself not to feel the worry, feel the fear. Had Clara and the boys noticed his absence yet? Would they be afraid? Would he ever see them again?

_Don't think like that, _he told himself firmly. _For all you know, these people could be perfectly harmless. _The best thing he could do now was remain calm and attempt to reason with his captors.

They proceeded down a long, dim corridor that had stone walls like the room Doc had woken up in. Greenish light filtered down from a window set at the very end of the corridor. The walls were punctuated by heavy wooden doors. All were closed

At one of the doors, the woman stopped. 'Wait here.' Taking a ring of keys from her pocket, she selected one and fitted it into the lock. She pushed the door open to reveal a small bare room with a window set high in the wall. Slumped on the floor was a figure with tousled brown hair. It took Doc a moment to recognise him.

'_Marty?' _he said, aghast. Shoving by the woman, he ran into the cell and dropped to the teenager's side. Marty's were closed, and he was breathing slowly and deeply. Doc shook him by the shoulder, but this elicited no response. 'What have you done to him?' he demanded, turning to look up at the woman.

She didn't seem perturbed by his harsh tone. 'What we did to you,' she replied, bending down. She frowned slightly. 'He's still out. That's odd.'

'If you've harmed him…'

'I hope not,' she said calmly. 'We need him. Well, we'll just have to go on without him. The commander can't wait any longer.'

Doc stood up. 'What do you mean, you need him? And what the hell is he doing here? What am _I _doing here?'

'You'll find out soon enough. Now, out.' Doc left the cell after a last worried glance at his friend. The door echoed with a resounding bang as the woman pulled it shut after her.

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The woman led Doc to the end of the corridor, where the light was coming from. There was a small grimy window there; Doc squinted out, but all he could see was concrete buildings. There was no clue as to where he might be.

The corridor took a left turn there. The woman marched down it, then stopped at a door that looked just like all the others. She raised her eyebrows at Doc. 'In here.'

Doc stepped forward as she opened the door, taking a deep breath.

The room was quite small, and shabby like the other rooms he had seen; but its dusty floor was covered with a worn rug and dark bookshelves lined the windowless walls. A desk was set at the end of the room; a man with a brown beard was leaning against it, his arms folded, but Doc's attention immediately focussed on the other two people beside the stranger – himself and Marty.

He felt a bout of dizziness hit him as he looked into Emmett's eyes. The pure _unnaturalness _of it all was overwhelming, although he had had this sort of experience back in October. But another Marty standing there, when he had just seen his friend in another room…it made his brain spin.

The scientist and teenager stood side by side, their eyes sharp and fixed on Doc. Both looked exactly like their counterparts, apart from their clothes – dark green camouflage jackets and pants, and black boots.

Doc greeted them both with a weak nod, not sure how else to react to the situation. Emmett remained expressionless, but Marty's eyes widened as he leaned forward. 'Wow, Doc,' he said in a hushed voice. 'This is…this is just heavy.'

Almost instinctively, Doc opened his mouth to answer, but caught himself just in time and snapped it shut. The corners of Emmett's mouth twitched upward.

'It sure is,' said the man sitting on the desk. Doc turned his attention towards him now as he straightened up and advanced with his hand outstretched. 'Welcome. I'm Commander Johnson.'

'I…well, hello,' Doc replied, dazed.

Commander Johnson jerked his head towards the woman, who had taken up position just behind him. 'This is Marisa, as she probably hasn't introduced herself. And, of course,' he added with a grin, 'as you well know, is Doctor Emmett Brown and Martin McFly.' He suddenly stepped forward and took Doc's chin his hand. Too startled to move away, Doc let him rub his rough fingers over his skin. 'Amazing,' the commander murmured. 'Simply amazing. Exactly the same.' He looked back at Marisa. 'Has the McFly boy not woken up yet?'

'Not yet, sir,' Marisa replied. 'I'm not certain why. I gave him the normal requirement.'

'Probably because he's a bit small,' Other Marty put in.

'Yes, perhaps.' Commander Johnson frowned, and took his hand away from Doc to rub his own chin. 'He'd better not be harmed.'

Other Marty paled suddenly. 'If he is, does that mean you're going to surrender me?'

'No, no,' Emmett said, speaking up for the first time. Doc jumped at the sound of his own voice; it was like he could hear himself speaking, except his mouth wasn't moving and the sound was issuing from another part of the room. Emmett put his hand on Other Marty's shoulder. 'That won't happen. If the other you is harmed, then we'll simply fetch a new Marty from another universe.'

'All right,' Doc said sharply, both alarmed and confused by the way this conversation was going. 'Where am I? And who are you? You're all from an alternate universe, I can see that – but what are you doing in mine?'

Emmett's eyes glinted. 'The question is in fact what are you doing in _our _universe.'

Doc stared at him for a moment, then sucked in a deep breath. '_Great Scott_.' The realisation dawned on him all at once: he was in an entirely different universe! His knees suddenly felt weak. 'But…_how?'_

'I've been working on this project for the last thirty years,' Emmett said, his voice suddenly filled with eagerness. 'Ever since I imagined the possibility of there being millions, billions of universes alternate to our own, and I wondered could I somehow find a way to travel to them. Everyone thought I was mad, at first…except for Marty.' He paused, and he and the teenager shared a glance that was almost affectionate. Doc was abruptly hit with a pang of lonelieness – did he and his Marty ever look at each other like that?

Emmett went on, 'Until a few weeks ago, the project was nearing completion. Neither Marty nor I spoke of it to anyone. And then events took a sudden turn.'

'What turn?' Doc said quickly. He was still trying to absorb all of this information. A machine that could travel between universes? The idea had never occurred to him. But there had been no mention of a time machine yet – it didn't seem like Emmett had invented it, nor knew that Doc had. Unless that was what they had brought him here for… Well, he certainly wasn't going to bring it up. 'And you still haven't told me why Marty and I are here.'

At this, Commander Johnson laughed. 'That's a long story, Doctor Brown, and it begins a good few years back, back when the Rebellion started.' He clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes thoughtful. 'I don't know if things are the same in your universe – Emmett tells me that some universes could be almost exactly the same as ours, while some could be drastically different.'

'There's no "Rebellion" anyway, that's for sure,' Doc said. 'Does Hill Valley even exist here?'

Commander Johnson looked baffled. 'Hill Valley?'

'The town where I live.'

'In their universe, a town exists where there is none here,' Emmett said. 'The landscape was entirely different as well.' He glanced at Doc. 'The closest town to here is a city two hundred miles away. Around us there is nothing but wild country for miles and miles.'

'Wild country where anyone can do anything they want,' Commander Johnson said. 'Here, the territory is controlled by – well, they would call themselves government officials. But there is no government out here, Doctor Brown.' He slowly lowered himself to the edge of the desk once more. 'People are oppressed. Terror reigns everywhere. Twenty years ago the Rebellion was formed to try put an end to this, and today we are still fighting for justice. You are in our most important garrison, out in the middle of the forest.'

'You still haven't said what that has to do with me or Marty,' Doc said quickly, his head spinning with all this information. He was growing more alarmed by the minute – had he and Marty been dragged into the middle of some war?

The commander paused a moment before replying. 'Do you know who has the highest price on their head in this room, Doctor?'

'The highest – what?'

'Price.' Commander Johnson glanced towards where Emmett and Other Marty stood. 'It's not me, although I am leader of the entire Rebellion; not Marisa, although she is my second-in command. It is in fact your counterpart.'

Doc stared at Emmett in disbelief. '_You? _But why?'

'Emmett is one of our most valuable assets,' Commander Johnson said in a low voice. 'He has invented many weapons that we might have lost the war without. But that's not the only reason why the price on him is so high. Emmett has also invented instruments of torture, designed to get information out of spies or prisoners. Naturally, the Oppression – that's what we call our enemy – isn't too happy about this.'

A sudden sick feeling rose in Doc's throat, and he wobbled on his feet. 'Torture,' he whispered. 'You designed torture implements?'

'We are in a war,' Emmett said coldly. 'The Oppression do not hesitate to do the same thing – why should we?'

Doc could not reply, could not tear his eyes away from his counterpart.

'Five days ago, ten of our highest-ranking officials were captured by the Oppression,' Commander Johnson said, interrupting the sudden silence. 'They offered us one compromise: to surrender Doctor Brown and Martin McFly to them, otherwise they will kill the prisoners.' His eyes became misty. 'Some of those prisoners are my closest friends,' he murmured, almost to himself. 'I knew that I could not let them be executed – but there was no way I could give up the skills of Emmett, nor his companion. And that was when Emmett himself stepped forward to help, with the aid of his latest invention.'

He raised his chin to look steadily at Doc. 'I cannot surrender Doc and Marty,' he said softly, 'but I can give up others just like them.'

And Doc finally realised just why he and Marty had been brought here.


	3. Chapter 3

Commander Johnson dismissed Doc, and he was led down the corridor by Marisa. She was silent, not speaking until they came to a door near the end of yet another corridor, and even then it was only to say, 'Here,' as she swung the door open.

Doc stepped into the room. It was small and windowless, lit by a bare bulb overhead, but a cot was set up against one wall and he could see that an open door to his right that led to a tiny bathroom.

Marisa pointed to a small pile of clothes on the cot. 'Put those on,' she told him.

'What about Marty?'

She shrugged, and before Doc could say anything else, she quickly stepped backwards and swung the door closed. He heard the key turn in the lock, and then rapidly fading footsteps.

Sighing, he turned to the cot and shook out the clothes. They were similar to what Emmett and Other Marty were wearing: dark green camouflage pants and a jacket, and black boots were on the floor. He hesitated, clutching the material in his hand. He knew that he and Marty were in very deep trouble already and perhaps it would be wise to cooperate with their captors. But he had a bad feeling about all of this.

He pulled the clothes on anyway. They were a little loose and baggy, but they were warm and comfortable. Of course, he could see where this was going: he now looked exactly like the alternate Doc.

Sinking onto the cot, he let his head fall into his hands. What the hell were he and Marty going to do now? He still couldn't believe what was happening: the two of them were going to be surrendered to this Rebellion's enemies and most likely executed. No one in their world would ever know what had become of them.

The door suddenly swung open again and he glanced up quickly – and sprang to his feet as Marty came stumbling into the room. He glimpsed Marisa outside – she had evidently pushed Marty in – before the door shut again.

Doc grabbed Marty by the shoulders, half hugging and half shaking the teen in his enthusiasm. 'Marty! Are you all right? Are you hurt?' He realised then that Marty was wearing camouflage gear and black boots like his own.

Marty shook his head, looking dazed. Apart from his pale face and wide eyes, he did appear to be okay. 'No, I – I'm fine…Doc…where the hell are we?'

So he hadn't been told anything. Figuring that it would be best if Marty were sitting down while he heard the news, Doc gently led his friend over to the cot and then sank down beside him. 'Marty, do you know anything at all about our situation?'

Marty shook his head again. He looked faintly ill. 'No. When I woke up that woman with black hair came in and told me to put on these clothes. Then she came back and brought me here. And…' He looked at Doc, swallowing hard. 'I did see another me and another you, right? That wasn't a dream?'

'No, it was real all right,' Doc said grimly. 'We're in an alternate universe, Marty.'

A long silence passed. Marty stared straight ahead, apparently absorbing this information. 'Oh,' he said after a while. 'Okay. Why did they bring us here?'

Doc hesitated, but there was no way he could hide the truth forever. Or for very long, for that matter.

So he told him.

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When Doc had finished speaking, Marty leaned back against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. 'Doc,' he groaned. 'This is heavy.'

Doc sighed and closed his eyes. In that moment he looked quite old. 'I know,' he said, so softly that Marty barely heard him.

Suddenly panicked, Marty bolted upright. 'Doc, you have a plan, don't you? Please tell me you have a plan.'

'Well…' Doc opened his eyes and grimaced. 'No, I don't, actually.' Before Marty had a chance to exclaim over this, he held up his hand. 'That's not to say I can't come up with one, of course. It's just that I know practically nothing about our predicament, apart from that we are apparently going to be turned over to the Opposition, standing in for our alternate selves. But as for how or when that's going to happen…I have no idea.'

There was a pause.

'Uh…what did you say your other self is wanted for?' Marty asked nervously.

'Designing instruments of war and torture,' Doc said flatly.

'Right, right… And me?'

Doc lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

Marty slumped back again, feeling tears sting his eyes unexpectedly. 'Doc, what are we gonna do?' he whispered. 'My mom will miss me…my family…and Jennifer! Oh, God…'

'Don't worry, Marty,' Doc told him. 'I'll figure out something. I'm not about to sit back and let us die.'

Time passed. At one stage, a tray of food was pushed into the room. The soup was watery and the bread stale, but Marty was so hungry he didn't care. Doc wasn't speaking much; he seemed to be concentrating hard on something, occasionally muttering to himself. For his part, Marty brooded on the last time he had seen Jennifer...it seemed so long ago. The bare bulb overhead throbbed with white light and made his head and eyes ache.

About half an hour later, he started to yawn. He tried to hide it but Doc, who had been sitting in silence while he thought, noticed. 'I think it's time to get some sleep,' he said. 'We're both exhausted.'

'Have you thought of anything to get us out of here?'

Doc frowned. 'I'm afraid not. We have nothing to bribe with, breaking out of the room seems too risky…I think our best option is to just wait and see until they actually take us out of the room.'

'You're the doc, Doc,' said Marty, a little sceptically. 'So long as you don't think we'd be leaving it too late or anything.'

Doc looked at him seriously. 'We have no other choice.'


	4. Chapter 4

'Wake up. Get up.'

Someone had flicked the light on in the room. Harsh white light glared through Marty's eyelids and he groaned, burying his head into the covers.

'Get up. Now.'

Painfully, he squinted upwards. The black-haired woman's face swam into view. He struggled to remember her name – Marisa, wasn't it? She was frowning down at him. 'Get out of bed. We're leaving.'

He raised his head slightly. Marisa was standing beside the cot; Doc was stirring from where he'd been sleeping on the floor. The door lay open, and faint voices echoed distantly from the corridor.

'Where – where're we goin'?' he mumbled.

'We're leaving,' she repeated. 'I'll be back in five minutes, and you had better be out of that bed by then.'

She swung on her heel and the door slammed closed behind her. Marty stared at it for a moment, then pushed himself into a sitting position. 'Doc,' he said, slightly panicked. 'Doc, wake up!'

Doc opened his eyes and blinked, wincing a little. 'Great Scott, that floor hasn't done my back any favours.'

'You were the one who said I could have the bed, because you'd be awake thinking of a plan,' Marty retorted. 'And I hope you thought of a good one, because they're taking us out of here now.'

Doc was on his feet in a flash. 'Right this instant?'

'In five minutes. Doc, what're we gonna _do?_' Marty pushed the covers off him and climbed off the cot.

The scientist shook his head helplessly. 'I haven't quite figured that out yet. But that's no reason to panic,' he added, holding up his hands. 'Just stay calm, all right?'

Marty folded his arms and nodded tightly, chewing on one fingernail. Doc gave his shoulder a pat. 'You okay?'

'Yeah…no…I dunno. Doc, they're gonna kill us.'

'I'm not going to let that happen, Marty,' Doc said at once. He seemed to think for a moment. 'It does seem like we're not going to be presented with any real opportunity to get away, though, so we're probably just going to have to make a run for it.' He paused again. 'That means that you have follow any instruction I give you. Do you understand?'

'Sure.'

'It means you have to be alert at all times, ready to do whatever I say without hesitating or stopping or even thinking it through. That could prove fatal. Okay?'

Marty looked up into his friend's eyes. 'Well, you're the doc, Doc…'

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Marisa returned as promised and led them down the hallway. Daylight was filtering in through the grimy window, and the place was a lot noisier than it had been yesterday – voices and footsteps echoed up and down the corridor.

They were led to Commander Johnson's study once more. The space felt a lot more confined now, as it was packed with people. Doc and Marty's counterparts were standing at the head of the room. Marty tensed slightly next to Doc, but otherwise remained in control of himself.

About ten people dressed in combat gear milled around the room. Their faces were worn and battle weary, but they registered shock and surprise as they saw another Doc and Marty, and Doc saw their eyes flit between them and their doubles. He and Marty were not spoken to, however.

Commander Johnson tapped his desk and immediate silence fell. 'Is everyone present?'

'I believe so, sir.' Marisa stepped up to him.

'Good.' He glanced down at several papers in front of him. 'The plan is as follows: this group shall escort Doctor Brown and Martin McFly – their counterparts, that is, as I'm sure you've noticed – ' He grinned wryly and eyes again flicked to Doc and Marty, ' – to the bridge. You will be on foot, so the journey will take a day or two. The Opposition will be waiting on the other side of the bridge. At the same time as they release their five prisoners, Doc and Marty will walk towards them. The exchange will be quick and simple.'

'Quick and simple?' Marty suddenly said angrily. 'What the hell is that supposed to mean? Don't Doc and I have a choice in this?'

The commander's eyes were cold as he looked at the teen. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'But there are always casualties in war.'

'This isn't our war!' Marty yelled. The room had gone very quiet. Doc tried to shush him, but it was no good. 'This isn't even our world, for cryin' out loud! You have no right to drag us into this!'

Commander Johnson glanced away. 'Be quiet, or I'll have you sedated.'

'Sedated? What, now you can't even look me in the eye?' Marty's cheeks were flushed. 'Gonna shut me up because I don't want to die over something I'm not even part of?'

Commander Johnson sighed. 'Terry, if you would…'

The soldier nearest them silently drew his rifle and raised it in the air. Marty's eyes widened. The butt of the rifle whooshed down through the air towards his head.

Doc's hand shot up, stopping the rifle an inch from Marty's forehead. The impact jarred his hand painfully. 'Enough!' he said quickly, before anyone could react. 'That's enough.'

There was a long, drawn-out pause, in which everyone held their breath as Doc and the soldier held each other's eye. Then, finally, Commander Johnson said quietly, 'All right then.'

The soldier slowly lowered the rifle and turned away. Commander Johnson beckoned the group of soldiers closer to him and spoke to them in low tones. Doc grimaced and gave his hand a quick rub.

'Are you all right?' he muttered to Marty.

The teen looked shaken, but spoke in a hushed, angry tone. 'Aren't you gonna say anything, Doc?'

'Marty, you can see as well as I do that these people can't be reasoned with. They're ruthless, and they'll obviously go to any lengths to get what they want. It's best if we wait things out and see how they go.'

'But what if – ' Marty started to hiss, but then Commander Johnson was speaking in loud tones again.

'Go, then, and good luck. Move with haste and secrecy. Remember, the lives of five others rest in your hands. Also, Doctor Brown and Marty will be accompanying their counterparts, so you must make sure that the fact there are two of them isn't revealed to any spies.'

Doc frowned, surprised. He hadn't known that his and Marty's counterparts would be coming with them. This could cause complications.

A moment later, he and Marty were pushed towards the door and marched down the corridor.


End file.
